Zoning for a property

Disclaimer

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The Rules and Definitions in this Section shall be observed and applied in the interpretation of all other Sections herein, except when the context clearly indicates otherwise.

16.1 RULES

16.1-1 Words used in the present tense shall include the future; words used in the singular number include the plural number and the singular.

16.1-2 The word "shall" is mandatory and not discretionary.

16.1-3 The word "may" is permissive.

16.1-4 The word "lot" shall include the words "plot" and "parcel;" the word "building" includes all other structures or improvements of every kind, regardless of similarity to buildings; and the phrase "used for" shall include the phrases "arranged for," "designed for," "intended for," "maintained for," and "occupied for."

16.1-5 The word "person" includes a firm, association, organization, partnership, trust, company, or corporation as well as an individual.

16.1-6 The masculine gender includes the feminine and neuter.

16.2 DEFINITIONS

16.2-1 The following words and terms, when used in this Ordinance, shall have the meaning set forth, except where otherwise specifically indicated.

For the purposes of this Ordinance, the following definitions are adopted:

ABUTTING – To have a common property line or district line.

ACCESSORY BUILDING OR USE – An "accessory building or use" is one which:

1. Is subordinate to and serves a principal building or principal use.

2. Is subordinate in area, extent or purpose to the principal building or principal use served.

3. Contributes to the comfort, convenience, or necessity of occupants of the principal building or principal use served.

4. Is located on the same zoning lot as the principal building or potential use served with the single exception of such accessory off-street parking facilities as are permitted to locate elsewhere than on the same zoning lot with the building or use served.

ACT – "An act in relation to the regulation of the rivers, lakes and streams of the State of Illinois," 615 ILCS 5/4.9 et seq.

ADJACENT – Lying near or in the immediate vicinity.

ADJOINING – Touching or contiguous, as distinguished from lying near.

ADVERTISING DEVICE – See Sign, Advertising.

AGRIBUSINESS – A commercial enterprise which engages in the purchase, sale, barter, or exchange of goods, wares, or services traditionally related to agricultural production, or limited processing of agricultural produce.

AGRICULTURAL BUILDING or STRUCTURE – For the purposes of this Ordinance, an "agricultural building or structure" shall imply any building or structure existing or erected on land used principally for agricultural purposes, with the exception of dwelling units.

AGRICULTURE – The use of land for agricultural purposes, including farming, dairying, pasturage, apiculture, horticulture, floriculture, viticulture, and animal and poultry husbandry, and the necessary accessory uses for packing, treating, or storing the produce; provided, however, that the operation of any such accessory uses shall be secondary to that of the normal agricultural activities. Included is truck farming, poultry farming, bee keeping, raising of fruit and berries, and the selling of agricultural products.

ALLEY – A public or private way, at the rear or side of property, permanently reserved as a means of secondary vehicular access to abutting property. Frontage on said alley shall not be construed as satisfying the requirements of this Ordinance related to frontage on a dedicated street.

ALTERATION – Any change in size, shape, character, occupancy or use of a building or structure.

ANIMAL HOSPITAL – A structure or portion thereof designed or used for the care, observation, or treatment of domestic animals by a registered veterinarian.

ANIMAL UNITS –

ANTENNA – An antenna device by which radio signals are transmitted, received, or both.

APARTMENT – One (1) or more rooms in an apartment building, or combination apartment and commercial building, arranged, intended, designed, or occupied as a dwelling unit of a single-family, an individual, or a group of individuals.

APARTMENT BUILDING – A multiple-family dwelling originally designed and constructed to accommodate three or more apartments, designed with more than one dwelling unit connecting to a common corridor or entranceway, in contrast to single or two-family dwellings converted for multiple-family use.

APPLICANT – Any person, firm, corporation, or agency, which submits an application.

APPROPRIATE USE – Only uses of the designated floodway that are permissible and will be considered for permit issuance. The only uses that will be allowed are as specified in Section 10.8-2 of this Ordinance.

AUTO REPAIR, MAJOR – Major engine rebuilding or major reconditioning of worn or damaged motor vehicles or trailers; collision service, including body, frame, or fender straightening, or repair and painting of vehicles.

AUTO REPAIR, MINOR – Incidental repairs, replacement of parts and motor service to automobile but excluding any operation specified under "Automobile Repair, Major."

AUTOMOBILE – A two-axle motor vehicle designed and used primarily for the conveyance of not more than nine (9) persons that weighs less than eight thousands (8,000) pounds.

AUTOMOBILE LAUNDRY – A building or portion thereof, containing facilities for washing more than two automobiles, using production line methods with a chain conveyor, blower, steam cleaning device or other mechanical devices.

AUTOMOBILE LAUNDRY, EXTERIOR DRIVE-THROUGH – Any automobile laundry where exterior cleaning and/or washing services are provided on a drive-through or rollover basis.

AUTOMOBILE LAUNDRY, FULL-SERVICE – Any automobile laundry providing exterior and interior washing and cleaning services for automobiles and other motor vehicles.

AUTOMOBILE LAUNDRY, SELF-SERVICE– Any automobile laundry where equipment and/or facilities are provided for the self-service cleaning and/or washing of automobiles and other motor vehicles.

AUTOMOBILE SALVAGE YARD – Any place where two (2) or more motor vehicles not in running condition, or parts thereof, are stored in the open and are not being restored to operation, or any land, building, or structure used for wrecking or storing of such motor vehicles or farm machinery, or parts thereof, stored in the open and not any other goods, articles, or merchandise.

AUTOMOBILE SERVICE STATION – Any building or premises used for the dispensing, sale or offering for sale at retail to the public, automobile fuels stored only in underground tanks and located wholly within the lot lines; lubricating oil or grease for the operation of automobiles; and the sale and installation of tires, batteries, other minor accessories, and minor auto repair, but not including a bulk plant, conducting major auto repairs, automobile wrecking, automobile sales or automobile laundries; provided, however, that the washing of individual automobiles where no chain conveyor is employed may be included.

AWNING – A roof-like cover, temporary in nature, which projects from the wall of a building and overhangs the public way.

BASE FLOOD – The flood having a one percent (1%) probability of being equaled or exceeded in any given year. The base flood is also known as the 100-year frequency flood event. Application of the base flood elevation at any location is as defined in Section 10.6 of this Ordinance.

BASEMENT – A story having part but not more than one-half (½) of its height below grade. A basement is counted as a story for the purpose of height regulation if subdivided and used for dwelling purposes other than by a janitor employed on the premises.

BED AND BREAKFAST ESTABLISHMENT – A home occupation within a single-family dwelling wherein no more than four (4) guest bedrooms are rented and meals are served to overnight guests for commercial purposes.

BERM – An earthen mound designed to provide visual interest, screen undesirable views, and/or decrease noise.

BILLBOARD – See Sign, Advertising.

BLOCK – That property abutting on one (1) side of a street between two (2) nearest intersecting streets, railroad right-of-way, or natural barriers; provided, however, that where a street curves so that any two (2) chords thereof from an angle of one hundred and twenty (120) degrees or less, measured on the lot side, such curve shall be construed as an intersecting street.

BOARDING HOUSE OR LODGING HOUSE – A building or premises where meals are regularly served by pre-arrangement for definite periods for compensation for three (3) or more persons, but not a family exceeding twelve (12) persons, not open to transient guests, in contradiction to hotels or restaurants open to transients.

BOARDING STABLE – An area of land and buildings used to house and care for horses for which compensation is received and is limited for that purpose.

BOUNDARY LINE – A line on the Zoning District Map designating the edge of a use district. Such a boundary line may be a boundary line for two (2) use districts depending on the particular use districts located on each side of a said line.

BUFFER – A combination of physical space and vertical elements, such as plants, berms, fences, or walls, the purpose of which is to separate and screen incompatible land uses from each other.

BUILDABLE AREA – The space remaining on a zoning lot after the minimum open space requirements of this Ordinance have been complied with.

BUILDING – A structure having a roof, supported by columns or walls for the shelter, support, or enclosure of persons, animals, or chattel; and when separated by division walls from the ground up and without openings, each portion of such building shall be deemed as a separate building.

BUILDING, ACCESSORY – See Accessory Building or Use.

BUILDING, DETACHED – A building surrounded by an open space on the same lot.

BUILDING HEIGHT – The vertical distance from the grade to the highest point of coping of a flat roof or to the deck line of a mansard roof or to the average height of the highest gable of a pitch or hip roof.

BUILDING, NON-CONFORMING – See Non-Conforming Building.

BUILDING PERMIT – Permit issued by the County of Will for the construction, erection, or alteration of a structure or building.

BUILDING, PRINCIPAL – A non-accessory building in which a principal use on the zoning lot on which it is located is conducted.

BUILDING SETBACK LINE – The minimum distance between a street right-of-way or the center of the street in noted situations and the nearest supporting member of any structure on the lot.

BUILDING, UNIT GROUP – Two (2) or more buildings (other than dwellings) grouped upon a lot and held under one ownership, such as universities, hospitals, institutions, churches and temples, industrial plants and shopping centers.

BULK – The term used to indicate the size and setbacks of buildings or structures and location of same with respect to one another and includes the following:

1. Size and height of buildings.

2. Location of exterior walls at all levels in relation to lot lines, streets, or to other buildings.

3. Gross floor area of buildings in relation to lot area (floor area ratio).

4. All open spaces allocated to buildings.

5. Amount of lot area per dwelling unit.

BULK PLANT – A bulk storage plant shall mean any place where flammable liquids of ten thousand (10,000) gallons or more are received by tanker, barge, pipeline, tank car, tank vessel, or truck and are stored or blended in bulk for the purpose of distributing such liquids by tank trucks, pipeline, tank car, tank vessel, or container.

BUSINESS – The word "business" or the word "commerce," when used in this Ordinance, means the engaging in the purchase, sale, barter, or exchange of goods, wares, or merchandise, or the maintenance or operation of offices, or recreational or amusement enterprises.

CABIN, COTTAGE, SUMMER COTTAGE, RECREATION CABIN – Dwelling unit designed for the temporary seasonal occupancy that is not used for more than six (6) months in any given year.

CALIPER – A measurement of the size of a tree equal to the diameter of its trunk measured six (6) inches above natural ground for trees having calipers less than or equal to six (6) inches diameter and measured twelve (12) inches above grade for tree calipers greater than six (6) inches diameter.

CAMP, CAMPGROUND, DAY CAMP – Tracts of land of a design or character suitable for, and used for, seasonal, recreational and other similar living purposes. The tracts may have located on them a structure of a seasonable, temporary or moveable nature, such as a lodge, dormitory, cabin, hunting shelter or tent.

CARGO CONTAINER – A large standardized container used for holding, storing, or shipping freight by ship, aircraft, railroad, truck or other mode of transportation.

CAPACITY IN PERSON – The maximum number of persons that can avail themselves of the services (or goods) of an establishment, at any one time, with reasonable comfort and safety.

CARPORT – A roofed automobile shelter with one or more open sides.

CELLAR – A story having more than one half (½) of its height below the curb level or below the highest level of the adjoining ground. A cellar shall not be counted as a story for the purpose of height measurement.

CELLULAR SERVICE – A telecommunications service that permits customers to use wireless, mobile telephones to connect, via low-power radio transmission sites called cell sites, either to the public switch network or to other mobile cellular phones.

CELLULAR TELECOMMUNICATIONS – A commercial Low Power Mobile Radio Service licensed by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to providers in a specific geographical area in which the radio frequency spectrum is divided into discrete channels which are assigned in groups to geographic cells within a service area and which are capable of being reused in different cells within the service area.

CENTRAL WATER OR CENTRAL WATER SYSTEMS – All mains, pipes, and structures through which water is obtained and distributed to the public, including wells and well structures, intakes and cribs, pumping stations, treatment plants, reservoirs, storage tanks, and appurtenances, collectively or separately, actually used or intended for use for the purpose of furnishing water for drinking or general domestic use. In addition thereto, said System shall comply fully with all rules and regulations promulgated or required by the Office of the State Fire Marshall concerning fire prevention and safety.

CERTIFY OR CERTIFICATION – Formally attesting that the specific inspections and tests where required have been performed and that such tests comply with the applicable requirements of this Ordinance.

CHANNEL – Any river, stream, creek, brook, branch, natural or artificial depression, ponded area, flowage, slough, ditch, conduit, culvert, gully, ravine, wash, or natural or man-made drainage way, which has a definite bed and banks or shoreline, in or into which surface or groundwater flows, either perennially or intermittently.

CHANNEL MODIFICATION – Alteration of a channel by changing the physical dimensions or materials of its bed or banks. Channel modification includes damming, rip-rapping (or other armoring), widening, deepening, straightening, relocating, lining and significant removal of native vegetation from the bottom or banks. Channel modification does not include the clearing of dead or dying vegetation, debris, or trash from the channel.

Channelization is a severe form of channel modification involving a significant change in the channel cross-section and typically involving relocation of the existing channel (e.g. straightening).

CLEARING – Any activity, which removes vegetative ground cover.

CLUB OR LODGE – A structure, building, or property, which is primarily run by an organization serving its members or their guests. The sale of alcoholic beverages to members and their guests shall be allowed provided it is secondary and incidental to the promotion of some other common objective of the organization and further provided that the sale of alcoholic beverages is in compliance with applicable federal, state and county laws.

CO-LOCATION – Locating wireless communications equipment from more than one provider on a single site, or the siting of two or more separate companies’ wireless antennas on the same support structure.

COMMERCIAL MOTOR VEHICLE – A motor vehicle which has a gross weight in pounds, including vehicle and maximum load, in excess of eight thousand (8,000) pounds and which is not primarily designed for carrying passengers.

COMMISSION – The Planning and Zoning Commission.

COMMITTEE – The Plat Committee of the Will County Board.

COMMON OPEN SPACE – Land unoccupied by structures, buildings, streets, right-of-ways, and automobile parking lots and designed and intended for the use or enjoyment of residents of a planned development. Common open space may contain structures for recreational use. No area within thirty (30) feet of any building or structure except a structure used for recreational purposes shall be included as common open space.

COMPENSATORY STORAGE – An artificially excavated, hydraulically equivalent volume of storage within the Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA) used to balance the loss of natural flood storage capacity when artificial fill or structures are placed within the floodplain. The uncompensated loss of natural floodplain storage can increase off-site floodwater elevations and flows.

COMPREHENSIVE PLAN – The adopted land use plan of any elements thereof, indicating the proposed future development of the county as adopted by the County Board.

CONDITIONAL APPROVAL OF A DESIGNATED FLOODWAY MAP CHANGE – Pre-construction approval by Illinois Department of Natural Resources/Office of Water Resources (IDNR/OWR) and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) of a proposed change to the floodway map. This pre-construction approval, pursuant to this Part, gives assurances to the property owner that once an Appropriate Use is constructed according to permitted plans, the floodway map can be changed, as previously agreed, upon review and the acceptance of as-built plans.

CONDITIONAL LETTER OF MAP REVISION (CLOMR) – A letter which indicates that FEMA will revise base flood elevations, flood insurance rate zones, flood boundaries or floodway as shown on an effective Flood Hazard Boundary Map or Flood Insurance Rate Map, once the as-built plans are submitted and approved.

CONDOMINIUM – A building or buildings in which each individual unit is held in separate private ownership and all floor space, facilities and outdoor areas used in common by all tenants are owned, administered and maintained by a condominium association created pursuant to the provisions of the appropriate statute.

CONFORMING BUILDING OR STRUCTURE – Any building or structure which:

1. Complies with all regulations of this comprehensive amendment or of any amendment hereto governing bulk the for zoning district in which such building or structure is located; or

2. Is designed or intended for a conforming use.

CONGREGATE (ELDERLY) HOUSING – A dwelling providing shelter and services for the elderly which may include meals, housekeeping and personal care assistance.

CONTROL STRUCTURE – A structure designed to control the rate of flow that passes through the structure, given a specific upstream and downstream water surface elevation.

CORNER LOT – See Lot, Corner.

COUNTY – The County of Will, Illinois.

COUNTY BOARD – The county board of the County of Will.

COUNTY JURISDICTION AREA – Those portions of a county that lie outside the corporate limits of cities, villages, and incorporated towns that have municipal zoning ordinances in effect.

COURT – An open unoccupied space other than a yard on the same lot with a building, which is totally or partially enclosed by a building or buildings and is completely open to the sky.

CUBIC YARDS – The amount of material in excavation and/or fill measured by the method of "average end areas."

CURB LEVEL – The level of the established curb in front of the building measured at the center of such front. Where a building faces on more than one street, the "curb level" shall be the average of the levels of the curbs at the center front of each street. Where no curb elevation has been established, the level of the centerline of the street shall be considered the "curb level."

DAM – All obstructions, wall embankments or barriers, together with their abutments and appurtenant works, if any, constructed for the purpose of storing or diverting water or creating a pool. Underground water storage tanks are not included.

DAY CARE CENTER, ADULT – A facility which regularly provides day care for less than twenty-four (24) hours per day for more than three (3) adults in a facility other than a family home.

DAY CARE CENTER, CHILD – Any child care facility which regularly provides day care for less than twenty-four (24) hours for more than three (3) children in a facility other than a family home.

DAY CARE HOME, ADULT – A facility which regularly provides day care for less than twenty-four (24) hours per day for no more than five (5) adults in a family home.

DAY CARE HOME, CHILD – A family home which receives more than three (3), up to a maximum of twelve (12) children for less than twenty-four (24) hours per day. The maximum of twelve (12) children includes the family’s natural, foster, or adopted children and all other persons under the age of twelve. The term does not include homes that only accept children from a single household.

DECIDUOUS – A plant with foliage that is shed annually.

DENSITY – The numerical value obtained by dividing the total dwelling units in a development by the gross area of the tract of land upon which the dwelling units are located. Dedicated streets shall be utilized in the calculation of gross density.

DESIGNATED FLOODWAY – The channel, including on-stream lakes, and that portion of the floodplain adjacent to a stream or watercourse as designated by INDR/OWR which is needed to store and convey the existing 100-year frequency flood discharge with no more than a 0.1 foot increase in stage due to the loss of flood conveyance or storage, and no more than a ten percent (10%) increase in velocities.

1. The floodways are designated for unincorporated Will County on the Flood Boundary and Floodway Map prepared by FEMA (or the Department of Housing and Urban Development) and dated.

2. To locate the designated floodway boundary on any site, the designated floodway boundary should be scaled off the designated floodway map and located on a site plan, using reference marks common to both maps. Where interpretation is needed to determine the exact location of the designated floodway boundary, IDNR/OWR should be contacted for the interpretation.

DEVELOPMENT – Any human change to real estate, including:

1. Construction, reconstruction, repair, or placement of a building or any addition to a building.

2. Installing a manufactured home on a site, preparing a site for a manufactured home, or installing a travel trailer or recreational vehicle on a site for more than one hundred and eighty (180) days. If the travel trailer or recreational vehicle is on site for less than one hundred and eighty (180) days, it must be fully licensed and ready for highway use.

3. Drilling, mining, installing utilities, construction of roads, bridges, or similar projects.

4. Demolition of a structure or redevelopment of a site.

5. Clearing of land as an adjunct of construction.

6. Construction or erection of levees, walls, fences, dams, or culverts; channel modification; filling, dredging, grading, excavating, paving, or other alterations of the ground surface; storage of materials; deposit of solid or liquid waste.

7. Any other human activity that might change the direction, height, or velocity of flood or surface water, including extensive vegetation removal.

Development does not include maintenance of existing buildings and facilities such as re-roofing or re-surfacing of roads when there is no increase in elevation, or gardening, plowing, and similar agricultural practices that do not involve filling, grading, or construction of levees.

DIRECTIONAL ANTENNA – An antenna or array of antennas designed to concentrate a radio signal in a particular area.

DISTRICT – A portion of the County within which certain uniform regulations and requirements, or various combinations thereof, apply under provisions of this Ordinance.

DOMESTIC ANIMAL – Any various animals (such as horses or sheep) domesticated by man so as to live and breed in a tame condition.

DRIP LINE – The outer perimeter of the largest branches or limbs of a tree or brush as measured on the ground around the base of the tree or brush.

DRIVE-IN ESTABLISHMENT – An establishment which is designed to provide, either wholly or in part, service to customers while in their automobiles parked upon the premises.

DRIVEWAY (CONSTRUCTED) – That portion of a lot used to provide access from the street to a place of residence or business and which has been graded and graveled or surfaced with concrete, asphalt, crushed stone, or other hard surface and dustless materials.

DWELLING – A building or portion thereof, but not including a house trailer or mobile home, designed or used exclusively for residential occupancy, including one-family dwelling units, two-family dwelling units, and multiple-family dwelling units, but not including hotels, boarding, or lodging houses.

DWELLING, ATTACHED (Group, Row, or Town Houses) – A dwelling containing two (2) or more dwelling units and joined to other dwellings by party wall or walls, originally constructed for said purposes.

DWELLING, COVERTED – Any building which was originally designed and constructed as a one, two, or three-family dwelling but has not been changed or altered by the construction of additional dwelling units to provide for more families than the original building.

DWELLING, DETACHED – A dwelling, which is surrounded on all sides by open space on the same lot.

DWELLING, GROUND FLOOR AREA – The first floor area in square feet measured from the outside of the exterior walls but excluding cellars, basements, open porches, breezeways, garages, and other infrequently used spaces.

DWELLING, MULTIPLE FAMILY – A dwelling containing three (3) or more dwelling units, originally constructed for said purpose; and not including converted dwellings.

DWELLING, SEMI-ATTACHED – A dwelling which is jointed to another dwelling by a garage, carport, recreation structure, or other non-residential facility.

DWELLING, SINGLE-FAMILY – A dwelling containing accommodations for, and occupied by only one family.

DWELLING, TWO-FAMILY – A building designed exclusively for occupancy by two families living independently of each other.

DWELLING UNIT – One (1) or more rooms in a dwelling or apartment hotel designed for occupancy by one family for living purposes and having its own permanently installed cooking and sanitary facilities.

EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTION – A public, parochial, charitable, or non-profit junior college, or a college or university other than trade or business schools, including instructional and recreational uses, with or without living quarters, dining rooms, restaurants, heating plants, and other incidental facilities for students, teachers, and employees.

EFFICIENCY UNITS – A dwelling unit consisting of one (1) principal room, exclusive of bathroom, kitchen, hallway, closet, or dining alcove directly off the principal room.

ELEVATION CERTIFICATES – A form published by FEMA that is used to certify the elevation to which a building has been elevated.

EMERGENCY OR TEMPORARY SHELTER – A dwelling which provides temporary living arrangements for persons who are in need of temporary housing as a result of a short-term personal crisis. Not to exceed thirty (30) days. Examples include, but are not limited to, homes for victims of domestic violence, economic crisis centers, and homes for unwed mothers.

EQUIPMENT HOUSING – A combination of one (1) or more equipment buildings or enclosures housing equipment that operates in conjunction with the antennas of a facility and the equipment itself.

EROSION – The general process whereby soils are moved by flowing water or wave action.

ESSENTIAL SERVICES – Services provided by public and private utilities necessary for the exercise of the principal use or service of the principal structure except those already defined as Wholesale Power Generators in this ordinance. These services include underground, surface, or overhead gas, electrical, steam, water, sanitary sewerage, storm water drainage, and communication systems and accessories thereto, such as poles, towers, wires, drains, vaults, culverts, laterals, sewers, pipes, catch basins, water storage tanks, conduits, cables, fire alarm boxes, police call boxes, traffic signals, pumps, life stations, hydrants, but not including buildings that do not need to be in the immediate area of the uses they serve.

EVERGREEN – A plant with foliage that persists and remains green year-round.

EXCAVATION – Any act by which the organic matter, earth, sand, gravel, rock, or any other similar material is cut into, dug, quarried, uncovered, removed, displaced, relocated, or bulldozed and shall include the conditions resulting there from.

EXECUTIVE PLANNING DIRECTOR – The County Planner appointed by the Chairman and with the consent of the County Board to function, when authorized by Ordinance or by the Board, in the administrative review of the specific planning and zoning applications.

EXEMPT ORGANIZATIONS – Organizations, which are exempt from this Ordinance per Illinois Compiled Statutes (ILCS) including state, federal, or local units of government.

EXISTING GRADE – The vertical location of the existing ground surface prior to excavation or filling.

EXISTING MANUFACTURED HOME PARK OR SUBDIVISION – A manufactured home park or subdivision for which the construction of facilities for servicing the lots on which the manufactured homes are to be affixed (including, at a minimum, the installation of utilities, the construction of streets, and either final site grading or the pouring of concrete pads) has been completed before January 23, 1996.

EXOTIC ANIMAL – A lion, tiger, leopard, ocelot, jaguar, cheetah, margay, mountain lion, lynx, bobcat, jaguarondi, bear, hyena, wolf or coyote, or any poisonous or life threatening reptile.

EXPANSION TO AN EXISTING MANUFACTURED HOME PARK OR SUBDIVISION – The preparation of additional sites by the construction of facilities for servicing the lots on which the manufactured homes are to be affixed (including the installation of utilities, the construction of streets, and either final site grading or the pouring of concrete pads).

FAA – The Federal Aviation Administration of the United States Department of Transportation.

FACILITY – That part of the signal distribution system used or operated by a telecommunications carrier under a license from the Federal Communication Commission (FCC) consisting of a combination of improvements and equipment including (i) one or more antennas; (ii) a supporting structure and the hardware by which antennas are attached; (iii) equipment housing; and (iv) ancillary equipment such as signal transmission cables and miscellaneous hardware.

FACILITY LOT – The zoning lot on which a facility is or will be located.

FAMILY – An individual, or two (2) or more persons related by blood, marriage, or adoption, or a group of not more than three (3) persons (excluding servants), not related by blood, marriage, or adoption, living together as a single, house-keeping unit in a dwelling unit, but not including sororities, fraternities, or other similar organizations.

FARM – Land being used for agricultural purposes with ten (10) acres or more.

FARM HOMESTEAD – The building located on a farm that is the residence of the farm owner or tenant operator.

FARM OWNER – The person operating a farm or holding title to the farmland.

FARM, RESEARCH OR EXPERIMENTAL – An agricultural use, including buildings and land, for the purpose of obtaining new knowledge in agricultural processes and procedures.

FCC – Federal Communications Commission.

FEED LOT, COMMERCIAL – A structure or area in which twenty-five (25) or more units of livestock per acre are confined for a limited period of time prior to being shipped to market. One (1) unit shall be equivalent to one head of cattle, seven hogs, nine sheep, and one hundred and forty (140) chickens.

FEMA – Federal Emergency Management Agency and its regulations at 44 CFR 59-79 effective as of September 29, 1989. This incorporation does not include any later editions or amendments.

FENCE – Any construction of wood, metal, wire mesh, masonry, or other material erected for the purpose of assuring privacy, protection, or restraining animals.

FENCE, CLOSED – A fence, including gates, which conceals from view from adjoining properties, streets, or alleys, activities conducted behind it.

FENCE, OPEN – A fence including gates which has, for each one (1) foot wide segment extending over the entire length and height of the fence, sixty percent (60%) of the surface area in open spaces which afford a direct view through the fence.

FILL – Any act by which earth, sand, gravel, rock or any other material is deposited, placed, replaced, pushed, dumped, pulled, transported, or moved by man to a new location and shall include the conditions resulting there from.

FINAL GRADE – The vertical location of the ground or pavement surface after the grading work is completed in accordance with the site development plan.

FLOOD – A general and temporary condition of partial or complete inundation of normally dry land areas from overflow of inland or tidal waves, or the unusual and rapid accumulation or runoff of surface waters from any source.

FLOOD FREQUENCY – A period of years, based on a statistical analysis, during which a flood of a stated magnitude may be expected to be equaled or exceeded.

FLOOD FRINGE – that portion of the floodplain outside of the designated floodway.

FLOOD INSURANCE RATE MAPS (FIRM) – Map prepared by FEMA that depicts the Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA) within a community. This map includes insurance rate zones and floodplains and may or may not depict floodways.

FLOODPLAIN – Typically adjacent to a body of water with ground surface elevations at or below the base flood or the 100-year frequency flood elevation. Floodplains may also include detached Special Flood Hazard Areas, ponding areas, etc. The floodplain is also known as the Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA).

1. The floodplains are those lands within the jurisdiction of the County that are subject to inundation by the base flood or 100-year frequency flood. The SFHA’s of the County are generally identified as such on the Flood Insurance Rate Map of the County prepared by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (or the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development) and dated per Appendix "A."

FLOODPROOFING – Any combination of structural and non-structural additions, changes or adjustments to structures which reduce or eliminate flood damage to real estate or improved real property, water and sanitary facilities, structures and their contents.

FLOODPROOFING CERTIFICATE – A form published by FEMA that is used to certify that a building has been designed and constructed to be structurally dry and flood proofed to the flood protection elevation.

FLOOD PROTECTION ELEVATION (FPE) – The elevation of the base flood or 100-year frequency flood plus two (2) feet of freeboard at any given location in the SFHA.

FLOOD AREA (for determining floor area ratio) – The sum of the gross horizontal areas of the several floors of the building measured from the exterior faces of the exterior walls or from the center line of walls separating two (2) buildings. The "floor area of building" shall include the basement floor area when more than one-half (½) of the basement height is above the established curb level, off-street parking space, elevator shafts and stairwells at each flood floor space used for mechanical equipment (except equipment, open or enclosed located on the roof), penthouses, attic spaces having headroom of seven feet, ten inches or more, interior balconies, mezzanines, enclosed porches and floor area devoted to accessory uses.

The "floor area" of structures devoted to bulk storage of materials – including, but not limited to, grain elevators and petroleum storage tanks shall be determined on the basis of the height of such structures in feet, ten (10) feet in height shall be deemed to be equal to one floor (if a structure measures more than five (5) feet over such floor equivalent, it shall be construed to have an additional floor).

FLOOR AREA (for determining off-street parking and loading requirements) – The sum of the gross horizontal areas of the several floors of the building, or portion thereof, devoted to such use, including accessory storage areas located within selling or working space such as counters, racks, or closets, and any floor area devoted to retailing activities, to the production or processing of goods, or to business or professional offices.

However, the "floor area" for the purposes of measurement for off-street parking spaces shall not include: floor area devoted primarily to storage purposes (except as otherwise noted herein); floor area devoted to off-street parking or loading facilities, including aisles, ramps and maneuvering space; or mechanical or storage floor area other than area devoted to retailing activities, to the production of goods, or to business or professional offices.

FLOOR AREA RATIO (F.A.R.) – The numerical value obtained dividing the floor area within a building or buildings on a lot by the area of such a lot. The floor area ratio as designated for each district, when multiplied by the lot area in square feet, shall determine the maximum permissible floor area of the building or buildings on the lot.

FOSTER HOME – A family home that is licensed as a foster home and which provides full-time care and training for children under the age of eighteen (18) who are not related to the family.

FOUNDATION, PERMANENT – A closed perimeter formation consisting of materials such as concrete or concrete block which extends into the ground below the frost line

FREEBOARD – An increment of elevation added to the base flood elevation to provide a factor of safety for uncertainties in calculations, future watershed development, unknown localized conditions, wave actions and unpredictable effects such as those caused by ice or debris jams.

FRONTAGE – The minimum distance from one (1) lot to another.

GARAGE, BUS OR TRUCK – A building which is used or intended to be used for the storage of motor trucks, truck trailers, tractors, and commercial vehicles exceeding one and one-half (1½) tons capacity.

GARAGE, PRIVATE – A detached accessory building or portion of the main building designed, arranged, used, or intended to be used for the storage of passenger automobiles of the occupants of the premises.

GARAGE, PUBLIC – A building other than a private garage, used for the care, incidental servicing, and sale of automobile supplies, or where motor vehicles are parked or stored for remuneration, hire or sale within the structure, but not including trucks, tractors, truck trailers, and commercial vehicles exceeding one and one-half (1½) tons capacity.

GOLF COURSE – A public, semi-public, or private tract of land where the game of golf is played, including accessory buildings and land uses incidental thereto, and consisting of at least sixty (60) acres for each standard nine (9) hole course; and thirty (30) acres for each standard nine (9) hole par-3 course. A tract of land for playing golf, improved with tees, greens, fairways, hazards, and which may include clubhouses and shelters.

GRADE – The average level of the finished surface of the ground adjacent to the exterior walls of the building or structure.

GRADE, STREET – Same as Curb Level.

GRADING – Excavation or fill or any combination thereof and shall include the conditions resulting form any excavation or fill.

GROUP CARE HOME – A dwelling shared by persons who live together as a single housekeeping unit in a long-term, family-like environment in which staff persons provide care, education, and participation in community activities for the residents with a primary goal of enabling the resident to live as independently as possible. The dwelling must comply with applicable licensing standards of the appropriate federal, state, or local agencies.

GUYED TOWER – A communication tower that is supported, in whole or in part, by guy wires and ground anchors.

HALFWAY HOUSE – A dwelling which provides temporary living arrangements for persons who are receiving supervision, rehabilitation and counseling to help them re-enter society and live independently. Examples include, but are not limited to: programs to help residents recuperate from the effects of drug or alcohol addiction; pre-release, work-release, probationary, and other programs that serve as an alternative to incarceration; and programs for persons with family or school adjustment problems which require specialized care and attention.

HANDICAPPED – A physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one (1) or more of such person’s major life activities so that such person is incapable of living independently, a record of having such an impairment, or being regarded as having such an impairment. The term "handicapped" does not include current illegal use of, or addiction to, a controlled substance or alcoholism.

HEDGE – A landscaped barrier consisting of a continuous, dense planting of shrubs.

HEIGHT OF A FACILITY – The total height of the facility’s supporting structure and any antennas that will extend above the top of the supporting structure; however, if the supporting structure’s foundation extends more than three (3) feet above the uppermost ground level along the perimeter of the foundation, then each full foot in excess of three (3) feet shall be counted as an additional foot of facility height. The height of a facility’s supporting structure is to be measured from the highest point of the supporting structure’s foundation.

HEIGHT OF BUILDING – The vertical distance from the average contact ground level at the front wall of the building to the highest point of coping of a flat roof or to the deck line of a mansard roof, or to the mean height level between eaves and ridge for gable, hip, or gambrel roofs.

HISTORIC STRUCTURE – Any structure that is:

1. Listed individually in the National Register of Historic Places or preliminary determination by the Secretary of the Interior as meeting the requirements for individual listing on the National Register;

2. Certified or preliminary determination by the Secretary of the Interior as contributing to the historic district or a district preliminarily determined by the Secretary to qualify as a registered historic district;

3. Individually listed on the State inventory of historic places by the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency;

4. Individually listed on a local inventory of historic places that has been certified by the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency;

HOME OCCUPATION – any business or commercial activity that is conducted or petitioned to be conducted from property that is zoned for residential use or is used primarily for residential purposes.

HORIZONTAL CONDOMINIUM – A parcel of land and a building or buildings in which each individual parcel or building(s) is held in separate private ownership and all floor space, facilities, and outdoor areas used in common by all tenants are owned, administered and maintained by a condominium corporation created pursuant to the provisions of the appropriate statute.

HORIZONTAL SEPARATION DISTANCE – The distance measured from the center of the base of the facility’s supporting structure to the point where the ground meets a vertical wall or a principal residential building.

HOSPITAL OR SANITARIUM – An institution devoted primarily to the maintenance and operation of facilities for the diagnosis, treatment, or care for not less than twenty-four (24) hours in any week, for three (3) or more non-related individuals suffering from illness, disease, injury, deformity, or other abnormal physical conditions. The term "hospital," as used in this Ordinance, does not apply to institutions operating primarily for treatment of insane persons, drug addicts, liquor addicts, or other types of cases necessitating restraint of patients, and the term "hospital" shall not include convalescent, nursing, shelter, or boarding houses.

HOTEL – an establishment which is open to transient guests, in contradiction to a boarding, rooming, or lodging house, and is commonly known as a hotel in the community in which it is located; and which provides customary hotel services such as maid service, the furnishing and laundering of linen, telephone and secretarial or desk service, the use and upkeep of furniture, and bellboy service.

HYDROLOGICAL AND HYDRAULIC CALCULATIONS – Engineering analysis that determines expected flood flows and flood elevations based on land characteristics and rainfall events.

IDNR/OWR – Illinois Department of Natural Resources, Office of Water Resources.

INDUSTRIAL ANIMAL FARM – A mechanized farm operation, confined to a limited amount of space, to raise animals or poultry under controlled conditions of food, water, and exercise.

INDUSTRIAL PERFORMANCE STANDARDS – See Performance Standards.

INOPERABLE VEHICLE – Any motor vehicle from which, for a period of seven (7) days, the engine, wheels, or other parts have been removed, or in which the engine, wheels, or other parts have been altered, damaged, or otherwise so treated that the vehicle is incapable of being driven under its own motor power. "Inoperable motor vehicle" shall not include a motor vehicle, which has been rendered temporarily incapable of being driven under its own motor power in order to perform ordinary service or repair operations.

INTERMODAL CARGO CONTAINER – See CARGO CONTAINER

JUNKER – An automobile, truck, or other motor vehicle which has been damaged to such an extent that it cannot be operated under its own power and will require major repairs before being made usable or such a vehicle which does not comply with state or county laws or ordinances.

JUNK YARD – Any parcel of land where waste, scrap metal, paper, rags, or similar materials are bought, sold, exchanged, stored, baled, packed, disassembled, or handled, including auto and building wrecking yards, but excluding similar uses taking place entirely within a completely enclosed building.

KENNEL – any premise or portion thereof, on which more than five (5) dogs, cats, or other domestic animals over four (4) months in age are kept, boarded, bred, or cared for in return for remuneration, or are kept for personal use.

LANDSCAPING – Any combination of living plants (such as grass, ground cover, shrubs, vines, hedges, or trees) and nonliving landscape material (such as rocks, pebbles, sand, mulch, walls, fences, or decorative paving materials).

LAND USE DEPARTMENT – County authority responsible for issuing permits, inspecting work in progress, and taking enforcement action if necessary.

LATTICE TOWER – A guyed or self-supporting three or four sided, open, steel frame structure used to support telecommunications equipment.

LESSER FLOOD WATER RUNOFF CHANNEL – That portion of a drainage system which lies upstream from the main channel and which is generally subject to intermittent flows. They are generally indicated on the U.S.G.S. Hydrological Atlas maps, and serve a tributary area of sixty (60) acres or more. Drainage below the level of a lesser channel is generally by means of a storm sewer.

LETTER OF MAP AMENDMENT (LOMA) – Official determination by FEMA that a specific structure is not in a 100-year flood zone; amends the effective Flood Hazard Boundary Map (FHBM) or FIRM.

LETTER OF MAP REVISION (LOMR) – Letter that reviews base flood or 100-year frequency flood elevations, flood insurance rate zones, flood boundaries or floodways as shown on an effective FHBM or FIRM.

LIMITED ACCESS HIGHWAY – A traffic-way, including expressways and toll roads for through traffic, in respect to which owners or occupants of abutting property or lands and other persons have no legal right of access to or from the same, except at such points and in such manner as may be determined by the public authority having jurisdiction over such traffic-way.

LOADING OR UNLOADING SPACE, OFF-STREET – An open hard-surfaced area of land, other than a street or public way, the principal use of which is for the standing, loading, and unloading of motor trucks, tractors, and trailers. Such a space is not less than ten (10) feet in width, thirty-five (35) feet in length, and fourteen (14) feet in height, exclusive of access aisles and maneuvering space.

LODGE – See Club.

LOT – A legally divided area or portion of land under a single ownership or control that is intended to be occupied by one (1) use, group of uses, and/or one (1) main building or structure. Within all districts, all lots shall be lots of record when less than five (5) acres in size as required by and in conformance with the Will County Subdivision and Plat Ordinance and the State Plat Act.

LOT AREA – The area of a horizontal plane bounded by the front, side, and rear lot line.

LOT, CORNER – A lot at the intersection of two (2) streets or a lot bounded on two (2) sides by a curving street and any two (2) chords of which form an angle of 120 degrees or less measured on the lot side.

LOT COVERAGE – The area of a zoning lot occupied by the principal building or buildings and accessory structures including, but not limited to, paved driveways.

LOT COVERAGE PERCENTAGES – The lot coverage area divided by the total lot area.

LOT DEPTH – The distance between the midpoint of the front lot line and the midpoint of the rear lot line.

LOT, DOUBLE FRONTAGE – A lot other than a corner lot having frontage on two (2) or more streets. An alley shall not be considered a street.

LOT FRONTAGE – That portion of the frontage, between the side lot lines of a single lot, which shall be equal to the lot width, required in the specific Zoning District.

LOT, INTERIOR – A lot other than a corner or reversed corner lot.

LOT, REVERSED CORNER – A corner lot at right angles or approximately right angles to the general pattern of the area, the street side lot line of which is substantially a continuation of the front lot line of the front lot to the rear. The rear of the corner lot is adjacent to the side of another lot, whether across an alley or not.

LOT LINE – See Property Line.

LOT LINE, FRONT – The front property line for a zoning lot, abutting or within a street which is legally accessible for ingress and egress to the property. On a corner lot, lot lines along streets are considered to be front lot lines. On corner lots no rear yard setback is required.

LOT LINE, INTERIOR – A lot line common with another lot.

LOT LINE, REAR – the rear lot line is the lot line or lot lines most nearly parallel to and most removed from the front lot line.

LOT LINE SET BACK DISTANCE – the distance measured from the center of the base of the facility’s supporting structure to the nearest point on the common lot line between the facility lot and the nearest residentially zoned lot. If there is no common lot line, the measurement shall be made to the nearest point on the lot line of the nearest residentially zoned lot without deducting the width of any intervening right-of-way.

LOT LINE, SIDE – Lot lines other than front or rear lot lines.

LOT OF RECORD – A lot, which is part of a subdivision, the plat of which has been legally recorded or a parcel of land with a legally recorded deed in accordance with the Illinois Plat Act, as amended.

LOT WIDTH – The distance on a horizontal plane between the side lot lines on a lot, measured at right angles to the line establishing the lot depth at the minimum building setback line as established for each district.

LOT, ZONING – A parcel of land, composed of one (1) or more recorded lots or a parcel of land described by metes and bounds, that is of sufficient size to meet the minimum district requirements of this Ordinance concerning use, coverage, width, area, yards, or other district requirements of this Ordinance and having frontage on an improved public street, and which is designated by its owner or developer as a tract of land to be used, developed, or built upon as a unit, under single ownership or control. A "zoning lot" may or may not coincide with the definition of a "lot of record."

MANUFACTURED HOME – A structure, transportable in one or more sections, which is built on a permanent chassis and is designated for use with or without a permanent foundation when attached to the required utilities. The term manufactured homes also includes park trailers, travel trailers and other similar vehicles placed on site for more than one hundred and eighty (180) consecutive days. The term "manufactured home" does not include a "recreational vehicle."

MANUFACTURED HOME OR SUBDIVISION – A parcel (or contiguous parcels) of land divided into two or more manufactured home lots for rent or sale.

MANUFACTURED HOUSING UNIT – a building assembly or system of building subassemblies, designed for habitation as a dwelling for one or more persons, including the necessary electrical, plumbing, heating, ventilating and other service systems, which is of closed or open construction and which is made or assembled by a manufacturer, on or off the building site, for installation or assembly and installation on the building site with a permanent foundation. Said housing unit shall bear the seal of the State of Illinois Department of Public Health or comparable certification that the structure is manufactured in accordance with Illinois Mobile Home and Manufactured Housing Safety Act.

MARQUEE OR CANOPY – A roof-like structure of a permanent nature, which projects from the wall of a building and overhangs the public way.

MICROWAVE ANTENNA – A dish-like antenna manufactured in many sizes and shapes used to link communication sites together by wireless transmission of voice or data.

MOBILE HOME – See Manufactured Home.

MOBILE HOME PARK – A parcel or tract of land developed with facilities for locating three (3) or more "mobile homes" provided each mobile home contains a kitchen, flush toilet, and shower or bath and that such mobile home park shall be for the use only by non-transient dwellers remaining continuously for more than one month, whether or not a change is made. Is shall not include a sales lot in which motor vehicles or unoccupied trailers are parked for the purpose of inspection or sale.

MONOPOLE TOWER – A tower consisting of a single pole, constructed without guy wires and ground anchors. A slender self-supporting tower on which wireless antennas can be placed. See also Guyed Tower.

MOTEL – An establishment consisting of a group of attached or detached living or sleeping accommodations with bathroom and closet space, located on a single zoning lot and designed for use by transient automobile tourists. A "motel" furnishes customary hotel services such as maid service, laundering of linen, telephone and secretarial or desk service, and the use and upkeep of furniture. In a "motel," not more than twenty percent (20%) of the living and sleeping accommodations should be occupied or designed for occupancy by persons other than transient persons.

MOTOR VEHICLE REPAIR, MAJOR OR MINOR – See Auto Repair, Major and Minor.

NATIONAL GEODETIC VERTICAL DATUM OF 1929 (NGVD) – Reference surface set by the National Geodetic Survey deduced from a continental adjustment of all existing adjustments in 1929.

NATURAL – When used in reference to channels means those channels formed by the existing surface topography of the earth prior to changes made by humans. A natural stream tends to follow a meandering path; its floodplain is not constrained by levees; the area near the bank has not been cleared, mowed or cultivated; the stream flows over soil and geologic materials typical of the area with no substantial alteration of the course or cross-section of the stream caused by filling or excavating. A modified channel may regain some natural characteristics over time as the channel meanders and vegetation is re-established. Similarly, a modified channel may be restored to more natural conditions by humans through re-grading and re-vegetation.

NATURAL DRAINAGE – Channels formed in the existing surface topography of the earth prior to changes made by unnatural causes.

NEW MANUFACTURED HOME OR SUBDIVISION – Manufactured home park or subdivision for which the construction of facilities for servicing the lots on which the manufactured homes are to be affixed (including at a minimum the installation of utilities, the construction of streets, and either final site grading or the pouring of concrete pads) has been completed on, or after, January 23, 1996.

NON-RESIDENTIAL ZONING DISTRICT – The county jurisdiction area of a county except for those portions within a residential zoning district.

OMNIDIRECTIONAL ANTENNA – An antenna that is equally effective in all directions and whose size varies with the frequency and gain for which it was designed.

ORDINARY HIGH WATER MARK (OHWM) – The point on the bank or shore up to which the presence and action of surface water is so continuous so as to leave a distinctive mark such as by erosion, destruction or prevention of terrestrial vegetation, predominance of aquatic vegetation or other easily recognized characteristics.

PCS, PERSONAL COMMUNICATIONS SERVICES – Two-way, personal, wireless communications systems.

PERMITTEE – Any person to whom a site development permit is issued.

PERSON – Any individual, firm, or corporation, public or private, the State of Illinois and its agencies or political subdivisions, and the United States of America, its agencies and instrumentalities, and any agent, servant, officer or employee of any of the foregoing.

PILOT PLANT – A building or group of buildings in which a test, sample, or experimental manufacturing or assembling is operated until such a time as the process is perfected. This use is not to provide for the continuing operation of a manufacturing or assembling use.

PLANNED UNIT DEVELOPMENT – A tract of land which is developed as a unit under single ownership or unified control, which includes two (2) or more principal buildings or uses, and is processed under the planned development procedure (see Section 15).

PLANNED UNIT DEVELOPMENT PLAT – A drawing or map made to a measuring scale upon which is presented a description and definition of the way in which the design requirements of the planned unit development are to be met and intended for recording with the County Recorder of Deeds.

POND – A body of water with a depth that exceeds two and one-half (2½) feet.

PORCH – A roofed-over structure projecting out from the wall or walls of a main structure and commonly open to the weather in part.

PRINCIPAL RESIDENTIAL BUILDING – Has its common meaning, but shall not include any building under the same ownership as the land of the facility lot. A principal residential building shall not include any structure that is not designated for human habitation.

PROPERTY LINE – An imaginary line at the edge or boundary of a "zoning lot" or a line at the boundary of a lot of record.

PUBLIC BODIES OF WATER – All open public streams and lakes capable of being navigated by watercraft, in whole or in part, for commercial uses and purposes, and all lakes, rivers, and streams which, in their natural condition, were capable of being improved and made navigable, or that are connected with or discharge their waters into navigable lakes or rivers within, or upon the borders of the State of Illinois, together with all bayous, sloughs, backwaters, and submerged lands that are open to the main channel or body of water directly accessible thereto.

PUBLIC FLOOD CONTROL PROJECT – A flood control project, which will be operated and maintained by a public agency to reduce flood damages to existing buildings and structures, which includes a hydrologic and hydraulic study of the existing and proposed conditions of the watershed. Nothing in this definition shall preclude the design, engineering, construction or financing, in whole or in part, of a flood control project by persons or parties who are not public agencies.

PUBLIC OPEN SPACE – A publicly owned area; including, but not limited to, the following: parks, playgrounds, forest preserves, waterways, parkways, and streets.

PUBLIC UTILITY – Any person, firm, or corporation duly authorized to furnish under regulation to the public, electricity, gas, steam, telephone, telegraph, transportation, water, or sewer systems excluding Wireless Telecommunication Facilities.

PUBLIC WAY – Any sidewalk, street, alley, highway, or other public thoroughfare.

QUALIFYING STRUCTURE – A supporting structure that is (i) an existing structure, if the height of the facility, including the structure, is not more than fifteen (15) feet higher than the structure just before the facility is installed; or (ii) a substantially similar, substantially same-location replacement of an existing structure, if the height of the facility, including the replacement of an existing structure, is not more than fifteen (15) feet higher than the height of the existing structure just before the facility is installed.

RAILROAD RIGHT-OF-WAY – Strip of land with tracks and auxiliary facilities for track operation, but not including freight depots, stations, loading platforms, train sheds, warehouses, car or locomotive shops, or car yards.

RECREATIONAL VEHICLE OR TRAVEL TRAILER – A vehicle, which is:

1. Built on a single chassis;

2. Four hundred square (400) feet or less when measured at the largest horizontal projection;

3. Designed to be self-propelled or permanently tow-able by a light duty truck; and,

4. Designed primarily not for use as a permanent dwelling, but as temporary living quarters for recreational, camping, travel or seasonal use.

REGISTERED LAND SURVEYOR – A land surveyor registered in the State of Illinois, under the Illinois Land Surveyors Act. (225 ILCS 330/1, et seq.)

REGISTERED PROFESSIONAL ENGINEER – An engineer registered in the State of Illinois, under The Illinois Professional Engineering Practice Act. (225 ILCS 325/1, et seq.)

REMOVAL – Cutting vegetation to the ground or stumps, complete extraction, or killing by spraying.

RESEARCH LABORATORY – A building or group of buildings in which are located facilities for scientific research, investigation, testing, or experimentation, but not facilities for the manufacture or sale of products, except as incidental to the main purpose of the laboratory.

RESERVOIR PARKING – Off-street parking spaces or lot areas allocated to temporary standing motor vehicles awaiting entrance to a particular establishment.

RESIDENTIAL ZONING DISTRICT – A zoning district that is designated under a county zoning ordinance and is zoned predominantly for residential uses.

REST HOME or NURSING HOME – Private home for the care of children or the aged or infirm any other person in need of nursing care. Such a home does not contain equipment for surgical care or for treatment of disease or injury, and is not primarily designed for mental patients or alcoholics.

RESTAURANT – A business where the dispensing of edible foodstuff and/or beverages on the premises is the principal business operation; including a cafeteria, coffee shop, lunch room, tearoom, and dining room, but not including a drive-in restaurant.

RESTAURANT, DRIVE-IN or CARRY-OUT – A restaurant, whose principal business operation is the dispensing of edible foodstuff and/or beverages, ready for consumption on the premises, in automobiles, at outdoor tables, or at stand-up counters, or to be carried off the premises. One or both of the following conditions shall prevail:

1. Total seating area located within the enclosed portion of the premises shall be less than fifty percent (50%) of the total floor area.

2. Total automobile parking spaces on the premises shall exceed the total indoor seats provided for customers.

RETAIL, RETAIL STORE – Sale to the ultimate consumer for direct consumption and not for resale.

RETENTION/DETENTION FACILITY – A retention facility stores storm-water runoff without a gravity release. A detention facility provides for storage of storm water runoff and controlled release of this runoff during and after a flood or storm.

RIDING SCHOOL – An area of land, which is used as an educational center for horse training, handling, and care, and for which compensation is received.

RIDING STABLE – Land and buildings used to house horses, and for their exercise and training may include a school, boarding stables, tack shop or other related uses. Compensation is received for riding and training.

RIVERINE (SFHA) – Any SFHA subject to flooding from a river, creek, intermittent stream, ditch, on-stream lake system, or any other identified channel. This term does not include areas subject to flooding from lakes, ponding areas, areas of sheet flow, or other areas not subject to over-bank flooding.

ROADSIDE STAND – A structure for the display and sale of agricultural products, with no space for customers within the structure itself.

ROOF AND/OR BUILDING MOUNT FACILITY – A low power mobile radio service telecommunications facility in which antennas are mounted to an existing structure on the roof (including rooftop appurtenances) or building face.

RUNOFF – The water derived from melting snow or rain falling on the land surface, flowing over the surface of the ground or collected in channels or conduits.

SCHOOL – A public or private institution which offers instruction in any of the branches of learning and study comparable to that taught in the public schools under the Illinois school laws, including pre-kindergarten, elementary school, and junior and senior high schools, but excluding trade, business, or commercial schools.

SCREENING – Decorative fencing or evergreen vegetation maintained for the purpose of concealing from view the area behind such fencing or evergreen vegetation. When fencing is used for screening, it shall be not less than six (6) or more than eight (8) feet in height.

SEDIMENTATION – The processes that deposit solid, debris, and other materials either on other ground surfaces or in bodies of water or watercourses.

SELF-SERVICE STORAGE FACILITIES – A building or group of buildings for the dead storage of customer’s goods and wares where individual stalls or lockers are rented out to different tenants for storage, and where one or more stalls or lockers have less than six hundred (600) square feet of floor area.

SETBACK – See Building Setback Line.

SHADE TREE – Usually a deciduous tree, rarely an evergreen, planted primarily for it’s high crown of foliage, or overhead canopy.

SHRUB - A woody plant, smaller than a tree, consisting of several small stems from the ground, or small branches near the ground. May be deciduous or evergreen.

SIGN - A name, identification, description, display, or illumination which is affixed to, or painted, or represented directly or indirectly upon a building, structure, or piece of land, and which directs attention to an object, product, place, activity, person, institution, organization, or business.

SIGN, ADVERTISING (BILLBOARD) – A sign which directs attention to a business, commodity service, or entertainment conducted, sold, or offered elsewhere than upon the premises where such sign is located or to which it is affixed.

SIGN, FLASHING – Any illuminated sign on which the artificial light is not maintained stationary and/or is constant in intensity and color at all times when such sign is in use. For the purpose of this Ordinance, any revolving, illuminated sign shall be considered a "flashing sign".

SIGN, GROSS SURFACE AREA OF – The entire area within a single continuous perimeter enclosing the extreme limits of a sign, and in no case passing through or between any adjacent elements of the same. However, such perimeter shall not include any structural or framing elements lying outside the limits of such sign with two (2) visible surfaces the gross surface area shall be the sum of all sides of the sign.

SIGN, GROUND – A sign which is supported by one or more uprights or braces in or upon the ground.

SIGN, IDENTIFICATION – A sign indicating the name and address of a building, or the name of an occupant thereof, and the practice of a permitted occupation therein.

SIGN, PROJECTING – A sign which is affixed to any building or wall or other structure and extends beyond the building wall or parts thereof, or structure more than eighteen (18) inches.

SIGN, ROOF – A sign erected, constructed, and maintained above the roof of any building.

SITE – A lot or parcel of land, or a contiguous combination thereof, where grading work is performed as a single unified operation.

SITE DEVLOPMENT – Altering terrain and/or vegetation and construction improvements.

SPECIAL FLOOD HAZARD AREA (SFHA) – Any base flood area subject to flooding from a river, creek, intermittent stream, ditch, or any other identified channel or ponding, and shown on a Flood Hazard Boundary Map or Flood Insurance Rate Map as Zone A, A0, A1-30, AE, A99, or AH with existing elevations less than the BFE.

SPECIAL USE – A special use of land or buildings, or both, described and permitted herein, subject to special provisions, and which because of it’s unique characteristics cannot be properly classified as a permitted use.

STABLE, PRIVATE – A structure, which is located on a lot on which a dwelling is located, and which is designed, arranged, used, or intended to be used for housing horses for the private use of occupants of the dwelling, but in no event for hire.

STABLE, PUBLIC – A building where horses are kept for remuneration, hire, or sale.

STABLE, OUTDOOR – The outdoor accumulation of vehicles, equipment, products, or materials for permanent or temporary holding.

STORY – That portion of a building included between the surface of any floor, and the surface of the floor next above it, or if there be no floor above it, then the space between the floor and the ceiling next above it. Any portion of a story exceeding fourteen (14) feet in height shall be considered as an additional story for each fourteen (14) feet or fraction thereof.

STORY, HALF – That portion of a building under a gable, hip, or mansard roof, the wall plates of which, on at least two (2) opposite exterior walls, are not more than four and one-half (4½) feet above the finished floor of such story. In the case of one-family dwellings, two-family dwellings, and multiple-family dwellings, less than three (3) stories in height, a half-story in sloping roof shall not be counted as a story for the purposes of this Ordinance. In the case of multiple-family dwellings three (3) or more stories in height, a half-story shall be counted as a story.

STREAM – Any river, creek, brook, branch, flowage, ravine, or natural or man-made drainage way which has a definite bed and banks or shoreline, in or into which surface or groundwater flows, either perennially or intermittently.

STREET – All property dedicated or intended for public highway, freeway, or roadway purposes or subject to public easements.

STREET LINE – The division line between private property and a dedicated street or way, usually uninterrupted from corner to corner in any given block.

STRIPPING – Any activity which removes the vegetative surface cover including tree removal, clearing, and storage or removal of topsoil.

STRUCTURE – The results of a human change to the land constructed on or below the ground, including the construction, reconstruction or placement of a building or any addition to a building; installing a manufactured home on a site; preparing a site for a manufactured home or installing a travel trailer on a site for more than one hundred and eighty (180) days unless they are fully licensed and ready for highway use.

STRUCTURE, NON-CONFORMING – See Non-conforming building or structure.

STRUCTURAL ALTERATIONS – Any change in the supporting members of a building such as bearing walls or partitions, columns, beams, or girders, excepting such alterations as may be required for the safety of the building.

SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE – A building is considered substantially damaged when it sustains damage from any cause (fire, flood, earthquake, etc.), whereby the cost of fully restoring the structure would equal or exceed fifty percent (50%) of the pre-damage market value of the structure, regardless of the actual repair work performed.

SUBSTANTIAL IMPROVEMENT –

1. Any repair, reconstruction or improvement of a structure, the cost of which equals or exceeds fifty percent (50%) of the market value of the structure either, (a) before the improvement or repair is started, or (b) if the structure has been damaged, and is being restored, before the damage occurred.

2. For the purposes of this definition, "substantial improvement" is considered to occur when the first alteration of any wall, ceiling, floor, or other structural part of the building commences, whether or not that alteration affects the external dimensions of the structure.

3. The term does not, however, include either (a) any project for improvement of a structure to comply with existing state or local health, sanitary, or safety code specifications which are solely necessary to assure safe living conditions or (b) any alteration of a "historic structure," provided that the alteration will not preclude the structure’s continued designation as a historic structure.

SUPPORTING STRUCTURE – A structure, whether an antenna tower or another type of structure that supports one or more antennas as part of a facility.

SWIMMING POOL – Any structure, basin, chamber or tank containing an artificial body of water for swimming or wading, which uses or needs external buttresses of which are dug into the ground, having a depth of two (2) feet or more at any point.

SWIMMING POOL, PRIVATE – Any swimming pool, located on private residential property, the use of which is intended for the owner and guests.

SWIMMING POOL, PUBLIC – An artificial basin of water which has been modified, improved, constructed, or installed for the purpose of public swimming and includes pools for community use, pools at apartments having five (5) or more living units, clubs, camps, schools, institutions, park and recreation areas, motels, hotels, and other commercial establishments.

TELECOMMUNICATIONS ACT OF 1996 – Signed into law by President Clinton on February 8, 1996. It establishes a pro-competitive, deregulatory framework for telecommunications in the United States.

TELECOMMUNICATIONS CARRIER – A telecommunications carrier as defined in the Public Utilities Act as of January 1, 1997.

TEMPORARY MOBILE SIGN – An advertising device of a non-permanent type, used principally for commercial purposes.

TENANT OPERATOR – The person, including the family thereof, that is hired to operate a farm. Normally not the owner of the farm.

TERRACE, OPEN AND PATIO – A level plane or platform which, for the purpose of this Ordinance, is located adjacent to one (1) or more faces of the principal structure and which is constructed not more than four (4) feet in height above the average level of the adjoining ground.

THROUGH LOT – A lot having its front and rear lot lines on adjacent and substantially parallel streets, otherwise known as a double-frontage lot.

TOWER – Any structure that is designed and constructed primarily for the purpose of supporting one or more antennas, including self-supporting lattice towers, guy towers, or monopole towers. The term includes radio and television transmission towers, microwave towers, common-carrier towers, cellular telephone towers, alternative tower structures, and the like.

TRAILER – A vehicle without motive power used or adaptable for living, sleeping, business, or storage purposes, having no foundation other than wheels, blocks, skids, jacks, horses, or skirting, and has been reasonably equipped with wheels or other devices for transporting the structure from place to place. The term "trailer" shall include "camp car" and "house car". A permanent foundation shall not change its character unless the entire structure is erected in accordance with the county building code.

TRAILER, HOUSE – See Mobile Home.

TRANSITION SECTION – Reaches of the stream or floodway where water flows from a narrow cross-section to a wide cross-section or vice versa.

TREE – A large, woody plant having one or several self-supporting stems or trunks and numerous branches. May be classified as deciduous or evergreen.

UNDERSTORY – Assemblages of natural low-level woody, herbaceous, and ground cover species, which exist in the area below the canopy of the trees.

UNIFIED CONTROL – The combination of two (2) or more tracts of land wherein each owner has agreed that his tract of land shall be developed as part of a planned unit development and shall be subject to the control applicable to the planned development.

UPPERMOST REACH – An open drainage channel intended to serve two (2) or more lots and generally found on private property. It is the first level of common drainage system, and is generally used to convey periodic rainfall to a storm sewer.

USE – The purpose for which land or a building thereon is designed, arranged, or intended, or for which it is occupied, maintained, let or leased.

USE, ACCESSORY – See Accessory Building or Use.

USE, LAWFUL – the use of any structure or land that conforms with all of the regulations of this Ordinance or any amendment hereto and which conforms with all of the codes, ordinances, and other legal requirements, as existing at the time of the enactment of this Ordinance or any amendment thereto, for the structure or land that is being examined.

USE, NON-CONFORMING – See Non-conforming Use.

USE, PERMITTED – A use which may be lawfully established in a particular district or districts, provided it conforms with all requirements, regulations, and performance standards (if any) of such districts.

USE, PRINCIPAL – The main use of land or buildings as distinguished from a subordinate or accessory use. A "principal use" may be either a "permitted use" or a "special use."

USE, SIMILAR AND COMPATIBLE – Any use that has characteristics in common with and is capable of coexisting harmoniously with any of those permitted uses in the zoning district.

USE, SPECIAL – See Special Use.

USED CAR LOT – A zoning lot on which used or new cars, trailers, or trucks are displayed for sale or trade outside of buildings.

VACANT – Land on which there are no structures or only structures which are secondary to the use or maintenance of the land itself.

VALUATION – For the purpose of this Ordinance, valuation of a building shall be the assessed valuation, or where no assessed valuation exists, its appraised valuation as converted to assessed valuation.

WAREHOUSE – A building or structure or part thereof, used principally for the storage of goods and merchandise.

WETLANDS – Areas that are inundated or saturated by surface water or groundwater at a frequency and duration sufficient to support, and that under normal circumstances do support, a prevalence of vegetation typically adapted for life in saturated soil conditions, and are subject to the regulations of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers under Section 404 of the Clean Water Act.

WHIP ANTENNA – An antenna that transmits signals in three hundred sixty degrees (360º). Whip antennas are typically cylindrical in shape and are less than six (6) inches in diameter and measure up to eighteen (18) inches in height. Also called omni-directional, stick or pipe antennas.

WHOLESALE – Sale to retailers or jobbers for resale and not for direct consumption.

WHOLESALE POWER GENERATORS – Any electrical generating operation which is operated or owned by any organization, other than the owner and maintainer of a majority of electricity transmission facilities within the planning jurisdiction that serves uses, structures, or sites outside the site on which the operation is located. This definition does not include any facility designated by the State of Illinois as exempt from zoning regulation.

WOODLANDS, EXISTING – Existing trees and shrubs of a number, size, and species that accomplish the same general function as new plantings.

YARD – An open space on the same zoning lot with a principal building or group of buildings which is unoccupied and unobstructed from its lowest level upward, except as otherwise permitted in this Ordinance, and which extends along a lot line and at rights angles thereto, to a depth or width specified in the yard regulations for the district in which the zoning lot is located.

YARD, FRONT – A yard along the front lot line of a lot where the depth is equal to the length of the line establishing the building setback line.

YARD, REAR – A yard extending across the full width of the rest of the lot between the side yards. Double frontage and reverse corner lots will have no rear yard.

YARD, SIDE – A yard extending along a side lot line from the front yard to the rear yard.

ZONING ADMINISTRATOR – The individual appointed by the Chairman, by and with the consent of the County Board, to administer and enforce the Zoning Ordinance of the County.

ZONING DISTRICT – See District.

ZONING LOT – See Lot, Zoning.

ZONING MAP – The map or maps incorporated into this Ordinance as part hereof, designating zoning districts.